Carton with unitary coupon



Ju 1968 w. G. ROCKEFELLER CARTON WITH UNITARY COUPON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 14, 1966 WINSTON G- ROCKEFELLER BY KM, m, M, 721241ATTORNEYS June 1.968 w. G. ROCKEFELLER 3,389,350

CARTON WITH UNITARY COUPON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 14, 1966INVENTOR WINSTON G. ROCKEFELLER ATTORNEY-5 United States Patent3,389,850 CARTON WITH UNITARY COUPON Winston G. Rockefeller, WoodclitfLake, N.J., assignor to Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y., acorporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 534,008

Claims. (Cl. 229-16) This invention relates to tubular carton structureand particularly to such cartons wherein a discount, advertising or likecoupon is unitary with the blank from which the carton is formed andinaccessible and non-removable once the carton is completed about thearticle unless the carton is effectively destroyed.

In its preferred embodiment the invention will be described asincorporated in a carton for packaging a toothpaste tube. The majorobject of the invention is to provide a novel carton construction ofthis type wherein a coupon is unitarily included in the package in suchfashion that unauthorized or dishonest persons cannot extract the couponfrom the carton while it is on the store shelf for example without soopening the carton that it becomes obvious to a prospective purchaserthat tampering has occurred.

It is a further object to provide a novel combined carton and couponassembly made from a single blank of suitably stiff cardboard or thelike. I 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel carton formed byfolding a preformed blank upon established fold lines wherein anintegral coupon is detachably provided on an edge of the blank andwholly enclosed within the carton when the blank is folded, preferablywith a window to exhibit the coupon to a prospective purchaser.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel tubular cartonenclosing an integral coupon and having a circumferentially extendingtear portion in its side walls that is openable to provide the onlyaccess to remove the coupon.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceedsin connection with the appended claims and the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a preformed integral carton and coupon blankaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a generally perspective view showing the folded closedcarton assembly;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-section taken in the general area of line3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a generally perspective view showing the carton of FIGURE 2with the tear portion opened and hinged back to expose the coupon; and

FIGURE 5 is a generally perspective view of the carton illustratingextraction of the coupon.

The blank 11 of FIGURE 1 is preferably made of some suitable stifi sheetmaterial such as cardboard having the usual glossy surface and printedexterior as the conventional toothpaste tube carton.

' This blank, from right to left in FIGURE 1, comprises a series oflongitudinal panels, namely side panel 12, top panel 13, opposite sidepanel 14, bottom panel 15 and internal glue panel 16, and tab meansproviding a coupon 17. Fold line 18 is provided between panels 12 and13, fold line 19 is provided between panels 13 and 14, fold line 21 isprovided between panels 14 and 15, fold line 22 is provided betweenpanels 15 and 16, and a fold line 23 which is also a score line fordetachment of the coupon tab 17 at the proper time is provided betweenpanel 16 and coupon 17. In the illustrated embodiment, coupon 17 has awidth greater than top panel 13 which it underlies in the carton and soit is provided with a fold line 24 sepa- 3,389,850 Patented June 25,1968 rating it into sections 25 and 25. All of these fold lines arelongitudinal and parallel.

End closure tabs 26-29 are mounted on the ends of panels 12 and 14 onfold lines 30-32 respectively. One end closure tuck tab 33 is mountedbetween tabs 26 and 27 on a fold line 34 at the adjacent end of panel13, and an opposite end closure tuck tab 35 is mounted on a fold line 36on the other end of panel 15. All of these fold lines 30-32, 34 and 36are parallel and perpendicular to the longitudinal fold lines.

A transverse tear portion 37 is provided in the blank by score lines 38and 39 extending from longitudinal fold line 21 across panels 14, 13 and12 in succession. Preferably these score lines are perpendicular to line21 as they cross panels 14 and 13, and they diverge at 41 and 42respectively to form a tapered finger grip section 43 in panel 12.

It will be noted that fold lines 18 and 19 extend along the tearportion. Panel 13 is also preferably provided with a cut out viewopening 44 for viewing coupon 17 from outside the closed carton as willappear.

FIGURE 2 shows the folded closed carton, as it contains the toothpastetube or other packaged article. With reference to FIGURE 3 it will beseen that panels 12, 13, 14 and 15 form the outer longitudinal sidepanels of the carton, and that glue panel 16 folded on line 22 liesinternally flush with panel 12. A glue area interface indicated at 45 inFIGURE 3, and originally provided in the blank either along panel 16 asshown in FIGURE 1 or on the matching inner surface of panel 12,adhesively secures panels 12 and 16 together and permanently holds thecarton in longitudinally folded condition.

In the folded carton, see FIGURE 3, the coupon 17 is folded at 23 tounderlie top panel 13 and at 24 to extend along the inner side of panel14. If desired coupon 17 could merely be of the width of section 25underlying panel 13, or it could include another folded sectionextending along panel 15, without departing from the spirit of theinvention. In any event coupon 17 is essentially free floating, beingattached to the carton only along score line 23, and while it is notrelied upon to form part of the carton closure it does not interferewith the packaged product and it contributes in the complete package toreenforce the carton against collapse.

The coupon 17, while viewable through opening 44 to detect its presence,is safely inaccessible within the closed carton, and cannot be withdrawneven should the tuck flaps 33 and 35 be opened.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the carton as it must be opened to extract coupon17. The customer applies his finger along the exposed lip edge 45 andlifts upwardly with suflicient pull force to break the adhesive bond andtear along score lines 41, 42 and 38, 39 until the tear portion 37 isswung about fold line 21 to the open condition illustrated in FIGURE 4.Once the glue area region is separated the tear portion 37 readilyswings out. Now the coupon 17, the longitudinal dimension of which isabout equal or less than that of tear portion 37, is exposed and thecustomer merely reaches in, hinges it out on score line 23 to thecondition of FIGURE 5 and tears it off on that score line.

The foregoing operation so destroys the carton that it would be obviousto anyone that it had been tampered with.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of 3 equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A unitary carton and coupon assembly comprising a preformed blank ofsheet material having a series of parallel longitudinally extending foldlines whereby the blank may be folded to form a tube, an integral coupontab detachably connected along one edge to a side edge of Said blank,said coupon tab freely underlying at least one side of said tube so asto be completely protectively enclosed Within said tube, and means inthe blank defining a tear portion in the tube side which when openedfully exposes said coupon tab for detachment from the assembly.

2. A carton assembly formed from a single blank of relatively stiffsheet material comprising a plurality of side edge fold connectedlongitudinal panels which when erected with the terminal panelsoverlying and secured together form a four sided tube, internal floatingtab means integrally detachably hinged along one edge to the innerterminal side panel and extending freely along the adjacent side panelwithin the carton, and an integral tear strip extending laterally aroundsaid carton across at least the outer terminal side panel and theadjacent side panel overlying said tab means, whereby when said tearstrip is opened said tab means is available for extraction through thecarton side opening thus formed, said tab means comprising a couponextractable from the carton only when said tear strip is opened.

3. The carton assembly defined in claim 2, wherein said tab meanscomprises two edge fold connected tabs one of which is connecteddirectly to said inner terminal side panel and corresponds in lateralextent to the side panel overlying it, with the second tab extendingfreely along the inner side of the next adjacent carton side panel.

4. The carton assembly defined in claim 2, wherein said adjacent sidepanel has a view opening for observing the coupon. l

5. A unitary carton and coupon assembly comprising a preformed blank ofstiff sheet material having a; series of parallel longitudinal foldlines defining panelsandadapted to be folded along said lines to form atube,-:an integral coupon comprising a side extension of said blankhaving a detachable edge connection to the outer longitudinal edge of anouter one of said panels, said coupon underlying at least one panel ofsaid tube so as to be completely protectively enclosed within said tube,and means in the blank defining a tear portion extending through atleast said one of said tube panels which when removed fully exposes saidcoupon for detachment from the assembly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,343,222 2/1944 Nelson 229-512,363,861 11/1944 Goodyear 229-51. 3,183,614 5/1965 Loderhose 2063,214,075 10/1965 Champlin et a1 229-51 3,219,253 11/1965 Davis 229-51FOREIGN PATENTS 692,744 8/1964 Canada.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner.

1. A UNITARY CARTON AND COUPON ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PREFORMED BLANK OFSHEET MATERIAL HAVING A SERIES OF PARALLEL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FOLDLINES WHEREBY THE BLANK MAY BE FOLDED TO FORM A TUBE, AN INTEGRAL COUPONTAB DETACHABLY CONNECTED ALONG ONE EDGE TO A SIDE EDGE OF SAID BLANK,SAID COUPON TAB FREELY UNDERLYING AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF SAID TUBE SO ASTO BE COMPLETELY PROTECTIVELY ENCLOSED WITHIN SAID TUBE, AND MEANS INTHE BLANK DEFINING A TEAR PORTION IN THE TUBE SIDE WHICH WHEN OPENEDFULLY EXPOSES SAID COUPON TAB FOR DETACHMENT FROM THE ASSEMBLY.